


Merry Men

by chronicAngel



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bedtime Stories, DickBabs Week 2017, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, POV Third Person, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 11:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13363560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: After only a minute, Dick grins at her. "'Thou pratest like an ass,' said Robin, 'for I could send this shaft clean through thy proud heart before a curtal friar could say grace over a roast goose at Michaelmastide.'"DickBabs Week 2017 Day 6: Sick





	Merry Men

She wheels herself through one of the long halls of Wayne Manor, toward the room she has learned in the past few days is Damian's, and she knows the old home well enough to catch the door before it creaks as she opens it.

"'Now stand thou back,' quoth Robin, 'and let the better man cross first.'" Dick reads, doing a poor English accent for a man who grew up with a British butler and using his loud, dramatic voice that she's grown used to associating with exaggerated stories. "'Nay,' answered the stranger, 'then stand back shine own self, for the better man, I wot, am I.'" His voice for this character is different, like when he's imitating Jason for a story and sounds particularly frustrated.

When she looks in the room, she sees Dick sitting on the edge of Damian's bed while the child leans against his shoulder, looking hardly conscious but like he is fighting to stay awake for the sake of appearing some strange category of strong. _The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood_ is in his hands, and she listens with her eyes closed for a moment. "'Now,' quoth the stranger, 'I will tan thy hide till it be as many colors as a beggar's cloak, if thou darest so much as touch a string on that same bow that thou holdest in thy hands.'"

The boys both look up, startled, at her interruption, and she pretends not to notice as Damian scoots away from Dick a fraction of an inch. Ultimately, he doesn't move very far, too sick to care.

After only a minute, Dick grins at her. "'Thou pratest like an ass,' said Robin, 'for I could send this shaft clean through thy proud heart before a curtal friar could say grace over a roast goose at Michaelmastide.'" She pushes herself closer to the bed. Ace sleeps on Damian's legs, normally not allowed on the furniture, and he opens a sleepy eye to glance both warily and wearily at her out of the corner of his eye. She imagines that, while Alfred is in the other room offering Tim another cup of caffeinated tea that they have silently agreed not to tell Dick about, Ace is considered the responsible supervision for this room. She can't imagine what they might do while Damian is so sick.

"Tt. Take your flirting elsewhere."

She snickers and ruffles his hair, and it's a testament to his stomach bug that he takes a moment to swat her hand away from his head. He wears a t-shirt that she recognizes as one of Dick's old ones, and she chooses not to mention memories of stealing it when they were teens. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"

"Well enough to tell you not to call me kiddo," he offers with a disapproving huff, crossing his arms and looking away. After a moment, he opens an eye in a similar expression to Ace a minute ago, and allows a hesitant smile to break his face.

"Can I borrow him for a minute?" Dick, without waiting for Damian to consider his answer, bookmarks his page and puts it down on the end table.

They move into the hallway, gently shutting the door behind them. "Do you have any idea how much longer you're going to be in there?" She mumbles, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

He smiles apologetically and rubs awkwardly at the back of his neck, leaning back against the closed door. "No, sorry. He seemed like he was ready to pass out, but he's being kind of stubborn." More quietly, as though afraid his little brother might hear him through the surface of the door, he adds, "I don't think he wants to be alone right now." Something in his expression looks sad, and she's quick to steer the conversation away from whatever he's reminiscing about.

"Do you think that Bruce read him bedtime stories?" Okay, not the best distraction. She's not sure anyone will be the same again after Bruce's death a couple of months ago.

Still, his expression splits into a grin as though he's remembering something fond, and she doesn't ask for details. Eventually, he says, "Yeah. I bet he did."

She pecks him on the cheek before letting him go back in the room, where Damian is sitting on his knees and leaning close as though he was trying to peer through the wooden door. She continues to sit outside, in the hallway, listening to Dick dramatically read about Robin Hood's adventures, for nearly an hour. Finally, he comes out, and she catches a brief glimpse of Damian, snoozing and cuddling with Ace, before he picks her up and carries her to his room of the manor, which they've been sharing for weeks.


End file.
